Teams will play 36 holes today and 18 holes in TuesdayGÇÖs final round

by
/ 12:00 a.m. April 12, 2010

Andrew Walker

If the Ball State University men's golf team wants to improve on last week's results, then come Tuesday it will be taking a nice trophy on the ride home.

The Cardinals placed second in last week's Adidas Hoosier Invitational in Bloomington, Ind., and today travel to Columbia, Mo., for the Mizzou Intercollegiate looking to top the entire field.

The two-day tournament is played at The Club at Old Hawthorne in Columbia, a par-72, 7,204-yard course. The 15 teams involved will play 36 holes today beginning at 8 a.m. before playing 18 holes in Tuesday's final round.

Ball State could have a realistic chance to come away as champions. Of the 15 schools participating, none are ranked or receiving votes in the most recent Golf World/Nike Men's Division I Coaches Top-25 Poll.

The Cardinals will also have another Mid-American Conference opponent to compete with. Northern Illinois University is in the field that includes host University of Missouri, state rival IUPUI as well as Big 12 Conference schools Iowa State University, Kansas State University, Kansas University and the University of Nebraska.

Ball State today will be paired with Oral Roberts University and the University of Wyoming.

Junior Eric Steger leads the Ball State contingent into today's first round of action. He tops the Cardinals with a 72.24 average and has four top-10 finishes this season, including last week's seventh place showing in the Hoosier Invitational.